Melt Alpine AVIC City 融酥作山 中航城店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

There’s nothing quite like a relaxing oil massage after a sweaty hour of pickleball—especially when you’ve managed to play hard and somehow still look like you’ve been through a battle. Our session was near Huaqiang North (華強北), so naturally we headed to AVIC City (中航城) for post-game recovery — cuz what better way to unwind than pairing sore muscles with the ultimate shopping-complex wander? 😆😆

The oil massage was exactly what the doctor ordered. Warm, soothing, and weirdly satisfying in that “okay, I can breathe again” kind of way. And just as we were settling into that blissful recovery mode, we stumbled upon Melt Alpine (融酥作山) right across from the massage place — it was either fate, or just excellent timing.

Sea salt cheese soft serve (海鹽芝士冰淇淋) — This was delightfully refreshing with a perfect balance of savory and sweet. Most importantly, it wasn’t as cheesy as I first feared. In fact, it tasted lighter, cleaner, and way more enjoyable than I expected.

This is definitely a spot I’ll be revisiting. 

Food Rating: 5.8/10

Price: ¥¥

Address: Shop 110, Zone A, Level 1 AVIC City Junshang Shopping Centre, Futian, Guangzhou, China

深圳市福田区华富路中航城君尚购物中心A区一层110号

Closest Metro Station: Huaquiangbei (华强北)

Tel: +86 13312926490

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 10:00pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/cf/GThM 

Lacuna 空栖 Spa 中航城店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ❤❤❤❤

After getting all hung up about our first pickleball experience in Shenzhen for some time, we finally nailed it down this weekend. The court turned out to be pretty nice, and the best part is that it’s in the heart of Shenzhen just a very short walk from the subway station. Needless to say, we were already looking into our next game there.

I’ve already lined up an oil spa treatment after the game for all parties concerned. For convenience's sake, the spa was arranged close to our pickleball court to keep travel time to a minimum.

Situated at AVIC City Junshang Shopping Centre (中航城君尚購物中心), Lacuna (空棲) Spa offers spa treatments at reasonable prices. They have several locations across Shenzhen, most of them inside commercial buildings. This branch stood out for its convenient location inside a large shopping mall, which made it much easier to plan for dining and shopping after the treatment.

The spa was pretty small, with fewer than 10 private rooms. We checked in at reception first, and it didn’t take long before we found a package we liked.

The one I chose was a 50-minute oil massage priced at ¥209. After getting changed in my room, I lay down on the bed and waited for my therapist to arrive. Next came a five-minute sound-healing session, where I heard the therapist striking some kind of metal bowl. The resonant sound filled the room and came through to my ears. There was also a faint scent of flowers gently wafting onto my face to complement the sound.

At that point, I was so relaxed I was ready to fall asleep. 😴😴 Then the oil treatment began, with my therapist starting the countdown on the timer.

That was the last thing I remembered before I regained consciousness. ☺️☺️ It was a highly relaxing experience for both my body and mind. As my memory started coming back, I got my kid to pick up from school — thousands of miles away in Hong Kong.

Some snacks and a dessert soup before we settled our bills.

I’ve had a number of massage experiences in Shenzhen, and while this one wasn’t the most prestigious, it definitely represented the best value for money. Full marks to my therapist for applying just the right amount of pressure to my aching body — fatigue from the exercise. The technique, strength, and pressure points were all perfect. Happy times.

Rating: ❤❤❤❤

Price: ¥¥

Address: Shop L105, Level 1 AVIC City Junshang Shopping Centre, Futian district, Guangzhou, China

深圳市福田区华强北街道华富路1018号中航城君尚购物中心1层1号L105

Closest Metro Station: Huaquiangbei (华强北)

Tel: +86 15302794272

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 11:00pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/d0/vtMM

Contrast (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Contrast is a neighborhood coffee shop and café in Cheung Sha Wan, serving home-brewed coffee, all-day breakfast, and more in a friendly, easygoing vibe. But aside from its coffee and comfort food, it’s their desserts that have helped to earn them a loyal fanbase.

While I was sipping a drink at Springtide (回春) just a stone’s throw away, I decided to pop by afterwards to grab something to go.

Pistachio raspberry burnt cheesecake (開心果紅莓巴斯克芝士蛋糕) ($60) — I didn’t really get a proper look at it since my team members were the main beneficiaries of this sweet treat.

From what I’ve heard, the cake’s texture was a little too soft for their liking. And they weren’t too fond of the pistachio sabayon and raspberry ganache on top either. They felt it didn’t match well with the pistachio-flavored burnt cheesecake.

Well, I’ll take their words for it. After all, they’re the dessert experts, not me. 🍰🍹

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, Easey Building, 512-518 Fuk Wing Street, Cheung Sha Wan, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Lai Chi Kok / Cheung Sha Wan

Tel: +852 2337-7220

Opening Hours: 9:00am - 6:30pm daily

Springtide 回春 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

I had someone important to pay my respects to at Cheung Sha Wan Cemetery this afternoon. Luckily, I didn’t break down in tears like I thought I would.

After that, I slowly walked downhill back towards the heart of Cheung Sha Wan. Instead of heading straight home, I decided to grab a drink to cool myself off. Thanks to the advice from my personal assistant (these days we call them AI), I managed to find Springtide (回春), a small café on the ground floor of The Amused (喜遇).

Springtide is the kind of modern coffee shop that has become a real success story in Sham Shui Po and nearby Cheung Sha Wan in recent years. Their menu blends café classics with lighter options, including salads, pasta, coffee, milkshakes, smoothies, and more.

Banana Hojicha Oat Milk Shake (香蕉焙茶燕麥奶昔) ($58) — I’m not sure whether banana and hojicha are a perfect match but I liked the fact that it wasn’t overly sweet.

Homemade Earl Grey Basque Cheesecake (自家製伯爵茶巴斯克蛋糕) ($58) — Their Basque cheesecake comes in two flavors — earl grey and pistachio. Since I’ve had my share of pistachio ones recently, my choice was a quick and easy one.

This was reasonably good. The Earl Grey flavor was pretty strong and slightly overpowered the cheesiness. But I liked that it was not custardy (although also not the melt in the mouth type) like a New York style cheesecake.

The quest for the most delicious Basque cheesecake in West Kowloon continues.

Food Rating: 5.5/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop 1, G/F, The Amused, 538 Fuk Wing Street, Cheung Sha Wan, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Lai Chi Kok / Cheung Sha Wan

Tel: +852 9814-6323

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 9:00pm daily

Chiching Chiu Chao Cuisine Shenzhen Bay MixC 至正潮菜 深圳灣萬象城店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★★☆

We were supposed to have our Chinese New Year celebration here, but it was so full that we had to scramble for an alternative plan which turned into a casual Korean dinner at CAAN. It was a little odd to have Korean food to celebrate Chinese New Year, and to make matters worse, we were sitting outside the restaurant with virtually no service. Ordering was done by scanning a QR code. That was not a good start to the Year of the Horse for us.

I eventually decided to come back and check out this restaurant, Chiching Chiu Chao Cuisine (至正潮菜) at Shenzhen Bay MixC (深圳灣萬象城), myself. I had a feeling it would be a good one.

Stir-fried choy sum (生炒菜心) (¥58) — My server thought it was a little odd to serve me greens before the starters arrived, but I said, “Hey, why not?” This was pretty nice and crunchy.

Deep-fried shrimp cake with nori (紫菜煎蝦餅) (¥68) — I could smell the wonderful aroma from a distance away.

I love the crispy crust made with seaweed on the outside, and of course the diced shrimps, complemented beautifully with the honey sauce. Definitely a must-try item here. 👍👍

Deep-fried minced pork roll (潮式炸棵肉) (¥58) — This took a while to arrive. In fact, I was almost done with the other two dishes.

A very traditional Chiu Chao starter with minced pork and water chestnuts trapped inside a spring-roll-like wrapper that was both crispy and chewy at the same time. There was also a hint of coriander that added a lovely fragrance to the dish.

This was a very, very delicious meal. I overheard a guy at the table next to me raving about how good his dishes tasted, and that his family from Chiu Chao made him an expert of course. I’ll definitely bring my family back for another visit.

Food Rating: 7/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: Shop 410, Zone A, Level 4 Shenzhen Bay MixC, 3213 Keyuan South Road, Nanshan, Guangzhou, China

深圳市南山区粤海街道海珠社区科苑南路3213号深圳湾万象城L4层A区410号铺

Closest Metro Station: Houhai (后海)

Tel: +86 (0755) 8660-6809

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 4:00pm, 5:15pm - 9:30pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/1e/P2uM

Tova by Paulo Airaudo (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★★☆

My quest for some of the best basque cheesecakes in Southern China has taken me north of the border this afternoon. After a healthy stint of game time at Coastal City Shopping Mall (海岸城購物中心), I took a leisurely walk over to Shenzhen Bay MixC (深圳灣萬象城) for a sweet treat I have been looking forward to for a while.

My destination was Tova, an upscale Spanish restaurant and dining concept by celebrated Chef Paulo Airaudo who’s also behind two Michelin starred Restaurant NOI in Hong Kong.

It was around 5pm so the main dining room was still in prep mode.

It was a little warm this afternoon but I was more than happy to sit outside at the bar area.

Basque cheesecake (¥58) — Nice, wobbly custardy texture similar to the one I had at EN Coffee last week.

I love that melt-in-the-mouth sensation, the kind that makes every bite pure joy. Compared with most Basque cheesecakes I’ve tried here, where the flavors can be a little subtle, this one tasted rich and satisfying without being overly cheesy. Definitely the best I’ve had in Shenzhen so far.

And there's that hugely underrated strawberry sauce to go with the cheesecake.

I still have another couple of hours to kill before my train ride. Fortunately, I am at one of the most spacious shopping complex in Shenzhen where there’s no shortage of interesting shops to explore.

Food Rating: 7.1/10 (Based on the Basque cheesecake)

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: Shop CB134, Zone C Shenzhen Bay MixC, 3213 Keyuan South Road, Nanshan, Guangzhou, China

深圳市南山区粤海街道海珠社区科苑南路3213号深圳湾万象城C区CB134号铺

Closest Metro Station: Houhai (后海)

Tel: +86 19925390859

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 9:30pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/ce/7KgM

Chun Tian Tea Company Shenzhen Bay MixC 椿田熟成茶行 深圳灣萬象城店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★★☆

Shenzhen Bay MixC (深圳灣萬象城) has long been a hotspot for Hongkongers, especially since the opening of its Phase Two (二期) last December. Now, the luxury shopping mall is set to make another splash with the soft opening of Pink Street (粉紅大街) — an entire avenue of trendy cafés, restaurants and boutiques under the same roof.

I was on a mission to track down a tea brand that’s been blowing up on social media.

Founded in Shanghai back in 1924, Chun Tian Tea Company (椿田熟成茶行) is a premium milk tea brand known for its “Oriental Aesthetics” and signature “Aging (Mature) process”. While the storied tea company started off in Shanghai, it has become a major viral sensation in Shenzhen since 2025.

The star of the menu is their "Black Warrior" series including their standout "Black Warrior Matured Pu'er with Sweet Potato Pearls" (黑武士熟成普洱薯丸) and a new tiramisu-flavored creation.

Golden Brick Silk Stocking Milk Tea (金磚絲襪奶茶) (¥22) — But for milk tea, I am a total purist.

This one features a silk stocking milk tea base (絲襪奶茶) with a floating ice made with the same milk tea. To me, the flavor was vivid, brisk, and intensely aromatic — almost reminiscent of Ceylon tea. It was refreshing yet complex, and it completely lived up to the hype.

It was nice to finally cross this social media sensation off my list. Even better that it was a weekday and there wasn't a lineup at all.

Food Rating: 6.3/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: Shop B1-51, Pink Street, Shenzhen Bay MixC, 3213 Keyuan South Road, Nanshan, Guangzhou, China

深圳市南山区粤海街道海珠社区科苑南路3213号深圳湾万象城粉紅大街B1-51号铺

Closest Metro Station: Houhai (后海)

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/20/GGuM

Taste Four Taste 嚐 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

I am spending some well-deserved me time in Houhai (后海), Shenzhen this afternoon. With plenty of time left before my train departs, I decided to sit down for a proper lunch at Elements Shopping Mall. 

Taste Four Taste (嚐) has officially replaced Tasty Congee & Noodle (正斗粥麵專家) as my go-to spot for noodles and congee in recent months. In fact, I’ve been coming back for one particular dish so much so that I just can’t help myself.

Stir-fried noodles with barbecued pork (乾炒叉燒麵) ($132) — They have a different version of this with flat noodles but there was no question in my mind about which one tasted better.

This came with incredible "wok hei" (鑊氣) resulting in the springy and slightly chewy texture. I also like the fact that it's not over-seasoned with soy and salt, and that the noodles didn’t end up greasy the way they often do at other places we’ve seen in Hong Kong.

I used up all 15 minutes I've got for this meal to fully enjoy my stir-fried noodles. Now, it's time to run to the rapid train station!

Food Rating: 6.5/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop 1005-1006, 1/F, Fire Zone, ELEMENTS, 1 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Kowloon

Tel: +852 2433-7711

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 10:00pm daily

Right Tea-rific 威水茶檔 by Flower Drum 鋒膳 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Right Tea-rific (威水茶檔) is a modern cha chaan teng in Wan Chai, brought to us by the team behind Flower Drum (鋒膳). I’ve been intrigued by the photos of their egg tarts and pineapple bun with butter (菠蘿油) doing the rounds on social media over the past few months. With an early meeting in Wan Chai this morning, it gave the perfect excuse to drop by for a quick breakfast.

Despite the limited space, I managed to get a seat without having to share a table with a stranger.

A closer look at the menu made it clear their breakfast offering isn’t quite the usual Wan Chai tea restaurant fare. You won’t find classic satay beef noodles or that familiar instant-noodle combo with egg and luncheon meat. Instead, the lineup leans more towards polished, “classy” sandwiches and homemade bakery goods.

Iced milk tea (凍奶茶) — The tea was pretty strong and it would likely be better off with a little more condensed milk for a smoother, rounder profile. But despite being slightly off balance, I thought I thoroughly enjoyed that tea base (茶底).

Pineapple bun with butter (菠蘿油) — Not exactly how I drew it up. I was looking for a bowl of instant noodles but when that wasn't unavailable, I improvised.

This was quite decent. If the bun was served hotter so the butter could melt a bit more — I think it would taste even better.

Flower Drum is known for its barbecued meats, so I was honestly surprised their menu doesn’t feature a few of its signature items like char siu. Adding those would likely make the fans very happy.

P.S.  There’s no breakfast set served here, ladies and gentlemen. It’s à la carte only.

Food Rating: 5.8/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop D, G/F, Harvard Commercial Building, 105-111 Thomson Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Wan Chai

Tel: +852 6805-1818

Opening Hours: 7:00am - 4:00pm daily

Jervois Cafe Sheung Wan 蘇杭冰室 上環店 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

I am back to Jervois Cafe (蘇杭冰室) for my favorite deep-fried chicken leg (生炸雞脾) this afternoon.

Iced milk tea (凍奶茶) — As usual, I started with a glass of iced milk tea. The tea was again very smooth and velvety, with deep tea flavors.

Deep-fried chicken thigh and scrambled egg over rice (生炸雞髀炒蛋 配飯) — This beloved street-food staple features a thick-breaded piece of chicken thigh and drumstick, served alongside a serving of runny scrambled eggs. It’s finished off nicely with a homemade sweet soy. Pretty solid!

It's always nice to be back in Sheung Wan for this. Now time to go back to work.

Food Rating: 5.4/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, 3 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Sheung Wan

Tel: +852 2352-7778

Opening Hours: 7:30am - 9:00pm daily

No Milkshake No Life Morning Queue (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

Little nugget has been longing for a chance to return to his favorite burger joint — No Milkshake No Life (NMNL), for a while. When his written examination finally wrapped up this week, I thought it was definitely time for a little celebration.

Interestingly, No Milkshake No Life has started offering a booking service now, though it was only available through WhatsApp (or call).

As usual, we kicked things off with a couple of frosty milkshakes. I ordered an Oreo shake to whet my appetite. 

As for little nugget, the brand new taro shake.

NMNL Signature Pancake Burger ($112) — Buttermilk pancakes with bacon, fried eggs, and portobello mushroom in the middle, finished with NMNL’s secret recipe savory honey syrup.

It was just as satisfying as little one remembered.

He was obviously taking his time to cherish this moment!

Grilled Chicken and Egg Burger ($72) — I hadn’t tried their chicken burger before, but it was surprisingly delicious. The chicken steak paired really well with the generous amount of caramelized onion.

That was another great outing at NMNLML. I’m really glad we made the trip over for this one.

Food Rating: 6.6/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop G01, G/F, Mei Kwai House, 13 Pak Tin Street, Shek Kip Mei, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Shek Kip Mei

Tel: +852 9816-3818

Website: www.nomilkshakenolife.com

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 7:00pm (Tue - Sun)